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I've often heard of the Carcassonne Catapult expansion, and I'm wondering, is it actually cool to use, or is it one of those novelties that will quickly wear off? Please give me your experience with this expansion. Thanks!

3 Answers
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It definitely seems like a novelty, or at least for a younger demographic. Judging by the reviews and ratings on BoardGameGeek, I'm not the only one who feels that way -- on their 1-10 scale, the Catapult expansion is rated a full 2.5 stars lower than the main Carcassonne set itself.

Personally, I don't like the idea of adding dexterity to my strategy games, and the new tiles look overly cutesy, but I could see kids getting a big kick out of it.

I was given it and regard it as a few extra playing tiles. The actual catapult thing is a worthless gimmick. At the very least you need a house rule that the catapult must be fired from (say) 50cm away from the playing area. Otherwise it's too easy to make the ammunition land just behind the catapult (often on the exact tile you choose).

I am playing this since it showed up. The catapult among other extensions is one of the best improvements to the game. Mostly because you can exchange a meeple against yours, or strike opponent's meeple(s) from the board or just score points (catching, shooting closest to circus tile you just placed), Especially exchange of meeples turns the rather stagnant play into an action pack thing.

Get rid of your prejudice and give it a shot. Besides the extra tiles added with the Catapult (i.e. those roads!!) are wicked. I guess only the princess and dragon or bazaars extensions had better.